Hitmaker, Heartbreaker Skylar Grey Plays Exclusive Set for Y! Music

The New Now

Tiffany LeeJuly 11, 2013

Hitmaker, heartbreaker, Grammy nominee and hip-hop's secret weapon is going out on her own. The inimitable Skylar Grey, the artist responsible for writing the unforgettable hooks on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" and "I Need A Doctor", is keeping that golden talent for herself with her new album Don’t Look Down.

Playing music since she was a child, Grey (née Holly Brook Hafermann) began her stage career by performing in a folk duo with her mother, moving on to a jazz band as a teenager. As Holly Brook, she was signed at 18-years-old and released her debut album Like Blood Like Honey in 2006.

After touring as an opener and with other artists for a few years, the singer hit a wall that could only be scaled by piling up everything she had done to boost her over the top and leave it all behind. She retreated into the woods, both literally and metaphorically, and re-emerged as Skylar Grey.

Not since the likes of an ingénue Fiona Apple has an artist been able to capture and convey those raw moments of vulnerability that leave most of us stuttering, half smiling and half hiding. But she does so from a place of fearlessness and authenticity that is sorely missing in music today.

While she is a master of the torch song, Grey purposely chose the cheeky, white trash-fantastical hit single "C'mon Let Me Ride" to show her fun side and that yeah duh, she really can do anything. Keep an eye on this one, people.

Skylar Grey came by the Y! studio recently to share some of her new songs and chat about her transformation, her new album, and paying it forward to one lucky fan.

Skylar Grey's new album Don't Look Down is available now. Get it on iTunes and catch Skylar Grey on tour throughout July.